Come to Discussions Prepared Practice Test

During a 7th-grade literature circle, the class discusses the theme of courage in the assigned novel chapters (Chapters 5–6). Emma has the book open with sticky notes and says, “In Chapter 6, when the main character returns to the river even after failing before, it shows courage because she risks getting caught again. I wrote down the line, ‘I can’t let fear choose for me,’ and it connects to the theme we listed yesterday.” Jamal says, “Yeah, I agree. It was interesting.”

Which student is better prepared for the discussion, and how can you tell?

In science class, students are discussing a textbook section on ecosystems. The homework was to read pages 112–118 and answer two questions in their notebooks.

Chen says, “I wrote down the definition from page 113: a keystone species has a disproportionately large effect on its ecosystem. The text’s example was sea otters controlling sea urchins, which protects kelp forests. If otters disappear, the kelp declines—so the whole food web shifts.”

Jordan says, “Keystone species are important. They, like, help the ecosystem.”

How does preparation affect Chen’s contribution compared to Jordan’s?